~ Delta Poetry Review ~

Gary Grossman

Cumulus Clouds, Clarke County, Georgia

Two pm on July tenth, the sun
broils every outbreath, but this cosseted
afternoon, the sky is strewn with
cumulus clouds, neither altocumulus,
nor stratocumulus, just plain old
cumulus dumplings pushing through the
Tropospheric broth. Climatologists
call them "well developed," and these were
meticulously placed by Odin or Yahweh,
because only a g-d could distribute
these clouds so evenly, like the white
squares on a new chess board or the
Spanish Armada sails full and tacking
up the French coast. This is not some
random tableau, but cobalt sky
and cotton boll clouds painted by
Van Gogh on a morn when he knew fact
from fancy, but still they puzzle, each
separate, yet linked, like a chain fence, all
intention and purpose. I scratch my head
in query, are they failing marriages,
fully charged and about to bolt? Are
they residual lacy valentines
from Miss Schaefer˙s fifth grade class, I pined
for one from Cathy Smith? Or are they
just my brain's manifestation, its
demand for order and purpose in
this anxious and chaotic world?

Gary Grossman is a Professor of Animal Ecology at the University of Georgia. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in 28 reviews, and his book "Lyrical Years" will be published by Kelsay Press in early 2023. Hobbies include running, music, fishing, gardening, and cooking. See his bio and writing at www.garygrossman.net and https://garydavidgrossman.medium.com/, respectively.